Becoming Coco

        Me with my blonde hair finding inner wisdom with the Shaolin Monks at the Shaolin Temple in Luoyang, Henan, China       Too often we look outside ourselves for the answers to our problems. Does this sound like you: Do you find yourself often asking friends, online forums or reading books to get advice and solve your problems, but yet never seeming to get anywhere?  Do you feel like you can't act until you find the magic answer you are looking for?  Maybe you are just procrastinating or stuck because you feel confused about what to do or what is going on deep inside.         Its easy to feel like other humans somehow have more knowledge, wisdom or understanding than we do, but truly the answers you seek are all inside. Now I am all for reading self-help blogs, like this one, books, or even going to a therapist or life coach for help. I highly recommend these things. But there comes a time where ma...

I’m trying to break a habit of perfectionism and it’s really tripping me out because it’s not a simple one step solution. I’m not just trying to be perfect all the time because I’m afraid people won’t like me if I’m not perfect. It’s a mixture of things. So I’m learning about thought patterns of perfectionist.  First, perfectionists have a pattern of looking at things as “all or nothing” (thanks Rachel Luna for pointing this out on her podcast).  If we can’t accomplish the whole task in the timeframe we want or have we may discount the option of doing it in chunks and get discouraged or procrastinate.  One example of this is if you can’t do all the dishes right now because you don’t have time, but you have time to do half the dishes, an all or nothing perfectionist would just put off the whole task.  Or maybe you have a goal at work to get a certain number of tasks done. Let’s say theres 10.  While a non-perfectionist may also not comple...

“I want to help others, but I’m still struggling myself. How can I inspire others when I feel like such a failure?” Do you ever feel like you can’t help others or make a difference because of your own failure, flaws or weakness? Wanna know a secret? Most of us do or did at one time.  Did you ever consider that the fact that you have this struggle makes you uniquely able to help others in the same or similar situations?  YOU have the personal experience to be a unique light and inspiration to others because you have been there and still struggle with it. Never doubt the positive impact you can have.  To teach something to others you only need to be one step or one chapter ahead of them.  Even more importantly often times just by actively listening and supporting someone we make the biggest difference of all. Who better to help, support and be a good listening to others going through pain than someone who know what it feels like firsthand ? N...

When you are a streamer or gamer and spend most your time with friends online, it can be a little overwhelming entering a huge social gathering like twitch-con. You may be so excited about meeting your twitch community irl, but you may also find yourself getting stressed, overwhelmed or anxious. I was feeling anxious myself and worried about how I was going to fit everything in so I came up with these tips. I hope they help you because they are helping me . Twitch con anxiety tips: Most important is having the right mindset: you are here first and foremost to make friends and enjoy yourself. Yes, you are here for building relationships and learning what new things are coming to streaming. You are here to learn. That’s good! But you also may be feeling too much pressure to do EVERYTHING ! Tell yourself it’s OK to miss some things. Choose just 3-5 things that are absolutely necessary to attend and then tell yourself if you don’t get to the rest it’s ok. I promise nothing here...

Part 2 Disclaimer: This won’t make as much sense if you don’t read part 1. So please read the previous post first : Part 1 I do not see a light at the end. I do not see a reason for hope. I do not feel there is any logical reason to expect anything different from a life that has already brought so much pain, to suddenly shift and turn toward happiness and peace.  But I am choosing that hope anyway. I feel almost mad at myself for doing so. I can hear a voice say “you are betraying us!” “We have been with you from the beginning and you know nothing ever goes right. You know we are angry and tired and depressed and weak and scared and we can’t survive this!.” “How dare you try to have hope, you foolish mortal.”  Part of me just isn’t ready for this hope. I’m actually quite fine staying at this level of the rope and complaining and crying about my situation. It feels almost safer to stop here and just be afraid. Yell, scream and fight for my right to be afrai...

Today I woke up and felt so lost and overwhelmed by everything I had to face today. This is the journal entry I wrote. It’s my own personal journal so I am not going to edit it for grammar or mistakes. I don’t know if it will make sense to anyone, but if even one person relates and feels understood because of this then that will be enough.  My suggestion - Read part 1 and take a minute to reflect and respond. Then read part 2 where I find hope. And please let me know if you relate or appreciate this in anyway because it means a lot to me and everyone else to know we are not alone.   Journal: 10/16/18 What do you do when you feel all Hope is lost? When you feel like you gave it your best effort, then threw on your last ditch effort, and pushed a little more after that. Your body is literally and metaphorically bent and bruised. You feel like you can’t push one more step. And you question whether there truly is any force for good in this world because if there ...